The Application of Hybrid Technology to the British Touring Car Championship claimed first prize for Outstanding Achievement in the field of Motorsport Engineering at a Silverstone ceremony earlier today (16 February).
The IMechE’s Automobile Division held its annual presentation of the Adrian Reynard Motorsports Medal, an award that recognises an individual or a team of people, working in the field of motorsports engineering, who have demonstrated an outstanding technical achievement or have made a significant contribution to the advancement of engineering in motorsports.
The award, this year, was presented to both TOCA – operator of the BTCC – and Cosworth Electronics Ltd, for their joint efforts in applying hybrid technology to the British Touring Car Championship.
TOCA introduced hybrid technology in 2021, before its competitive debut the following season, which now sees each car provided with a certain amount of additional ‘boosts’ to use during qualifying and the races.
The technical definition of the hybrid system was led by TOCA and the development and application of the system to the BTCC race cars was undertaken jointly by TOCA and Cosworth Electronics. The two companies worked closely together on this project, which is why they were both recognised.
Alan Gow, BTCC Chief Executive, said: “We are extremely proud that TOCA – alongside its trusted partner in Cosworth Electronics – has been recognised for an outstanding achievement in the field of motorsport engineering.
“It required a huge effort after announcing the project back in 2018 – becoming the first major touring car championship to do so – with everything that then happened in the world significantly adding to that challenge.
“The introduction of hybrid technology has been widely praised and a huge success and we are delighted that its engineering advances have also been rewarded today. Incorporating hybrid ensures the BTCC remains absolutely relevant to manufacturers, sponsors and the public, as well as further enhancing our great racing.
“It’s important that I acknowledge and thank the outstanding work from Cosworth, the teams, our suppliers and my TOCA Technical Team for playing their part in winning this fantastic award.”
Richard Woodgate, Lead Applications Engineer at Cosworth Electronics, said: “The requirements given by TOCA to Cosworth, to supply the first ever cost-effective Hybrid system for touring car competition was a huge challenge. Using our expertise in the knowledge of drivetrain technology and electronics, we are thrilled to have achieved just that, a turn-key solution that could be used by any formula, with practicality, costs, ease of use and performance at the fore.
“We are very proud of every team member who has contributed to this ground-breaking achievement within the motorsport sector, this award will go towards spurring on our next generation of engineers chasing the demanding challenges of an ever changing, cleaner and efficient motorsport arena.”
